The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-08-28
PROHIBITION
Viewed i'm the Light Of Chris
tian Ethics.

TREND with The request 10 puDlisn-
1t was written for publication in
Tennessee, where the people will
vote upon a prohibition amendment
in September:
No question has ever come before
the people of Tennessee of more vi
tai Importance than the one now
pending. The amendment to the
constitution of the State upon which
the people are called upon to vote
on the 10Th day Of September next.
concerns every citizen Of our State.
1t concerns Christian men especial
", as it is one not alone of politics
but of morals. 1t touches the very
essence of our public morality, it in
wolves the rights and duties of men
and women in Christian common
wealth. An issue involving so much
must not, cannot. be passed over
lightly by any conscientious Chris
tian man. | undertake to say that
no man claiming to be Christian
can afford to put himself upon the
whisky side of the question. This
let it be my duty to show
1t has been conceded time and
again that this country is Christian.
The common law of this country is
Christian. The spirit Of our laws,
their genius is, as all know, Chris
tian. / am aware that the question
OF church and state is one which
has its difficulties, and has been
variously adjusted. The Roman
Catholic view is that the state is
subject to the church or organic
Christianity, and thus the state be
comes Christian by being at the
mercy of the church. A recent Ger
man writer has said "This first (the
supremacy of the church) is the
ideal of the Roman Catholic church.
and has for centuries been the cause
of perpetual contests, full of confu-
sion and misery. At one time il
seemed to be on the high road tc
victory, but it finally failed and now
stands in history as a CHASTITY spec
tire from the past"
The second theory of the relation
, of church and state is that thu
church must be the creature of thu
state. The supremacy of the STATE
over the church was the idea ofstht
reformation in it's maturity, as ;
sort of convenience if not an abso
} Lutte necessity. Some of the mos
interesting chapters in church his
tory are records of these two systems
Of Ecclesiastico-political and Polit
leo ecclesiastical politics. This sec
} ond theory varied in it's application
| from the idea of the church bein!
a the servant of the state to that o
being child, ward, entitled t.
the protection and support of tn
state. l have not the space to poin
out the individual instances of thes
: different phases.
The third view is that organi
Christianity or the church is indie
pendent of the state. That is tn
American view of the subject. Sue
:. is the principle upon which our civi
4 and our church life proceed. Abso
q lutte independence is expressed i
that clause Of the constitution whic
says "Congress. shall make no la'
respecting the establishment Of re
:. ligion or prohibiting the free excl
+ else thereof" But we must not &c
q the idea that our government is nc
e Christian because it has no organi
Il connection with the church, bu
!, such legal minds as Story, Kent an
s Davis have decided that the comma
q law of this country is Christian
r Our political ethics is Christian
S But here let us give ourselves for
s modicum of time to the work Of di!
It elimination. The Christian systel
n may be looked at in three differer
IS ways: AS q spiritual force-a vita
n izing power; theological system;
is moral leader. The latter is VIII;
q, gives our government the charact'
Is of Christian. Christian. morality
the basis upon which our laws a
based. l need not call attention
w the fact that governments cann
le eAlsC wl.nouV d niolai ooue: u
in llorai eooe 70 no. O"n 49,. 90 e'i' =. ~
er from me Cnllssla ~ it thsa,a;o =. o.
ID cie eAoiueion " e .nI 'neo 1:5 ' a+ !;
~ spill.ual, oai ,aSn d aost ~ 49, no oth
s. tend TO Jake tnls anu case one ON
90 away. They only took this part.
~ the system as that which was exaC
f. y sulsea a 70 uo latn ~ mhile tho The
d. ,Iles anu ieia',uns mo or laft
iogicai anu Oue spillou :s We" ae ,s,o
Mt men ~ I'LL $500 ,ts nofanar 49,
ed righ.s, ,nultluual "'.A so 80 -;
ry etc. lhe seace iiius0 nav d ieiis ~
tt, OF sne canhoe nave q m9i q ~ ~.
ce 9ne can nase no s ha h"s ~ no,;n as
re- iuoe Ilsnc uhless quo n's :. a., iol rs, y
nd out Che pesI way W nsase Une AZ :,
he slan reiigioh IA i's peau0s a;iu =
er, lectlon IS 70 ieaye enu qaest 10 ,,
I'll tneology anu spil,1uail'! ~ snu =
~, PIE wi'HUuS .e i;r" Nv snaooh hefl
I'M 90 MI. "eps'e( ~ nie SpIeon Co. ~,
tne supreme ooul' ~ 'no oli
VIII case s''lu' D Ons 1919 oaa.e'l
world throughout its broadcast
on tent; II mas peen anu - neiu q .
~ iunoame1tai .iu0n 'uas l1iis lon - :.
ny only sollu pasls VI nioiais, anu =,